Weathering With You (2020)

This past weekend, I went to the premiere of Weathering With You. I still have not finished Jubei nor Angel Links (I do plan on finishing tonight). I am also still working on Plus Size Elf. I went by F.Y.E as well looking for either new or old anime series that I was interested in, to introduce. It has been confirmed that Fruit Basket (2019) will air its second season in March 2020. Along with the announcement that The Promise Neverland (2019) will air its second season in October 2020.

The plot of the film is about a young 16-year-old boy who runs away from his hometown, which is located on an island, to Tokyo. When he arrives he is low on funds and homeless. Prior to meeting his destination, he met a man on the ferry who saved his life during a storm, when he almost slid off the ship. In return, the man offered him a place to stay and work for below minimum wage in case he needed it. One day a girl gives him a burger for dinner. A few days later he sees the same girl get escorted to a club for work. he assumes he is saving her life when really, he's interfering. That is when their journey begins.

The main characters Hina and Hodaka have an unspoken love which is very clear and heartfelt. The fact that

he chose her over the weather. He chose her over her powers. In return, she chose him over making everyone else happy. She was considered a "sunshine girl" which in folklore means that she is a woman who can control the weather but in return, she is a human sacrifice for better days to prevent a great flood. She was not necessarily a runaway but a minor (she forged and lied about her age being 18, she was really 15, younger than her male lead). Her mother passed away a year prior to the setting of the film. The same day her mother died she was granted her powers. So she was left to take care of her elementary school-aged brother Nagi.

I would say that the plot of the film was meant to surround Hina and her powers. I say this because Hodaka's first work assignment working for a magazine was to uncover the folklore and stumbled upon the myth of Sunshine Women. Then later on her powers are dissected by the shrine priest. The story of how a boy fell in love with a special girl and why he loved her.

I also feel as though the hero of the film was not Hodaka. It was Keisuke Suga. Suga was Kodaka's boss and guardian during his time in Tokyo. He was a runaway around the same age as Hodaka back during his youth and fell in love with his late wife. He had a daughter who he filed for custody for, but because of the bad weather, he is unable to see her because of her asthma. I assume that his wife died in an accident that was caused by the rain because Suga was not a fan of the rain and was willing to agree with the folklore that the Sunshine Girl should die if it stops the weather. What made him a hero is that he helped Hodaka reach the shrine at the tattered building ruins so he could save Hina. There was a scene where for a moment you can tell that he no longer considered Hodaka crazy and immature. This happens after Hodaka radically explains that he is trying to see Hina one last time. So I assume in that moment Suga finally believed the lore.

This film is definitely a much see and pulls at your heartstrings. The animation is amazing as well. So much detail, that it felt like real rain. I do wish that the sky and skyfish were further explained during this film but none the less it was still an amazing film that I love to add to my collection. I was also asked after I saw the film, would I rate this better than Your Name (2016)? I would have to say yes. I say that because both films are love stories but this is not about meeting a stranger that you fell in love with. This is about accepting your other half and yourself. Making the other person feel wanted beyond what they bring to the table as a person and that's what Hodaka represents.